Collector Call

A new collaboration between two fashion giants is one for the history books

Feb. 1, 2013 1:45 p.m. ET

THESE DAYS, designer partnerships are a dime a dozen. The news is as fleeting as a tweet. The collaboration between 176-year-old French luxury house Hermès and Rei Kawakubo, the creative force behind Japanese brand Comme des Garçons, however, is a different beast—one that few could have predicted. What's the significance of an old-world maker of iconic products joining forces with a Tokyo-based iconoclast? This collection is about "the magic [that comes] from an unexpected meeting," said Bali Barret, women's artistic...